Research Paper Quicklinks
Research | Plagiarism | Notecards | Thesis/Topic Sentences Outline | Body Paragraphs | Introductions and ConclusionsWorks Cited (Bibliography) | In-Text Citations
Rome/Medieval/Renaissance Topic List
In my class you will learn how to write a research-based essay on a historical topic.
After researching a topic of your choice, you will develop an opinionated thesis based on your understanding of the topic. You will learn how to support your thesis with a well organized, fact-based argument.
To top it all off, you'll entertain your reader with an exciting introduction and a thought-provoking conclusion. In short, you will have mad writing skills by the time you finish with this class!
Research
When it comes to research, quality is more important than quantity. In order to receive full credit for your work, you must use academically appropriate sources! Start with these respected sources:
Encyclopedia Brittanica (try the youth edition for more concise articles)
Santa Barbara Public Library Catalog
Click here for more research strategies
Plagiarism
What is plagiarism? Click here to find out!
After reading your sources, you'll need to record relevant information on notecards. Never write phrases directly from your sources onto your notecards, unless you are recording a direct quote that you will cite as such. Always record facts in the simplest possible terms -- you will be able to fine tune the grammar and sentence structure later!
Notecards
Notecards are a great tool to help you organize your paper. You will have a different notecard for each subtopic within your paper, indicated by the keyword on the upper left hand corner of the notecard.
For instance, if you are writing a biography, you may have notecards with the keywords: early life, education, inventions, etc. You will often find that two or three notecards will combine nicely to equal one body paragraph of your essay.
Here is the required notecard format
Thesis and Topic Sentences
The purpose of your paper is not simply to regurgitate the information that you've located through research. Instead, you will use your research to construct an opinionated statement about your topic. This statement is your thesis. The purpose of your entire paper is to support the argument presented by your thesis, using a combination of logic and supporting evidence.
You know you want it...the Thesis Statement Rap!
Just as your thesis statement guides the content of your paper, your topic sentences (the first sentence of each body paragraph) guide the content of each paragraph.
Topic sentences indicate to the reader what kind of information will be found in each paragraph. They also support one aspect of the argument put forward by the thesis.
A nice overview of Thesis, Topic Sentences, and Introductions
Outline
The outline is a tool to help you organize the ideas and facts in your paper. I will ask you to complete an outline in two stages.
During the first stage, you will develop a thesis and a series of topic sentences. These are the "guiding ideas" of your essay. It is essential that these ideas work together, with each topic sentence explaining and supporting one aspect of your thesis.
During the second stage, you will plug supporting facts into each paragraph in a logical order.
This is a standard handout for your outline
Body Paragraphs
You will type your body paragraphs first. With a strong outline, writing your body paragraphs is a breeze. Just put your information into clear sentences in the order established by your outline! Double check that the order of your ideas makes sense, and that facts "support" the topic sentence under which they are placed.
Introduction and Conclusion
You will type your introduction and conclusion after your body paragraphs, when you've become a real expert on your subject. This is your chance to let your inner creative writer loose!
Introduction
The purpose of the introduction is (duh!) to introduce your reader to the topic of your paper. You'll want to get them interested in your subject, orient them with a bit of basic background information, and reveal the main argument of your paper (your thesis).
The introduction should begin with a descriptive "hook" to get your reader excited about your topic, followed by a transition that leads into your thesis sentence. The transition helps smooth the way from the exciting hook to the more factual, opinionated thesis -- without it, the change can be too abrupt! The thesis sentence is the last sentence in your introduction.
Conclusion
The purpose of the conclusion is to convince your reader that the ten minutes of their life they spent reading your paper were not wasted. You want to show them how your topic relates to their life today. Ideally you will have them wiping tears from their eyes as they contemplate the profound insights that you have just revealed.
Your conclusion should begin with a re-statement of your thesis, and then transition into a discussion of "the big picture," a thoughtful analysis of how your topic is still relevant today.
Some ideas for introductions and conclusions
Works Cited List
Even though the Works Cited list comes at the end of your paper, you'll probably be turning it in towards the beginning of the process, so that I can check that you are not using websites created by senile grandmothers!
A comprehensive source for MLA citations
Noodletools can help you with your works cited list
Here is a sample paper and works cited page in the MLA format
If you cite specific and unique ideas, statistics, images, or quotes straight from one of your sources, follow them with an in-text citation. You'll indicate the author or editor of one of the sources in your works cited list, and the page number where the information is found. Here are two examples (note in-text citations in red):
As Mr. Rogers once observed, "I've never met a cardigan I didn't like," (Williams 259).
or
Mr. Rogers had more than 500 cardigans in his closet by the time he was 60 (Williams 231).
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